school me on different years for the fjr

[o-no-moto]

Well its time to move on from my super sport to a fjr. I have been looking for bikes in my range and there in the 05 to the 09 year range.  I have heard that there is a generation change in there somewhere bit not sure when.  So can the in house experts tell me the differences with the pros and cons with those years?

[JustinNck1]

The 3 generations have alot in common, 03-05 were GEN1, 06-12 GEN2, and 13-16 are GEN3. GEN2 were know to have access heat in the leg region. GEN3 comes standard with cruise control. I have a 2014 GEN3 and love it. I'm not sure what your price range is, but there are dealers with leftover 2015s selling for $10,500 OTD. GEN2 bikes I have seen as low as $4,000. Regardless of year, these bikes are pretty bulletproof. 

[thompsonian]

Gen I are 2003 - 2005. I believe that most of those had heat issues, meaning they were hot bikes to ride. Also some had Cam Chain tensioner issues as well. 

Gen II are 2006 - 2012. Most of the heat issues were resolved by 2008 I believe. I think the 2007 had some electrical gremlins as well. Also the Gen II were available with either the A or the AE option (automatic shift)

Gen III are 2013 - 2016. These have cruise control standard and heated grips standard as well, if I'm not mistaken. the 13's cruise limited at 80-odd MPH and I think that was taken care of in the 14's. This Generation came available with an A or an ES (Electronic Suspension) options. The 16's have LED head and tail lights and I believe the headlights are adaptive.

 

You can't' go wrong with an FJR of any generation in my opinion. There are some good deals to be found out there on the interwebs if you look. if you're not a member of the FJR Forum (www.fjrforum.com) there's TONS of information there.

[Tonik]

They added ABS in 2004 as an option.  Whatever you get make sure it has that option.  It is a real game changer/life saver.

[JustinNck1]

1 minute ago, Tonik said:

They added ABS in 2004 as an option.  Whatever you get make sure it has that option.  It is a real game changer/life saver.

+1 on this, Best bet is to shoot for a Gen2/Gen3, and become an expert at changing tires.

[thompsonian]

23 minutes ago, JustinNck1 said:

+1 on this, Best bet is to shoot for a Gen2/Gen3, and become an expert at changing tires.

+2 or know someone who does...*cough* @JustinNck1 *cough*

[Casper]

So along the same lines... would folks here recommend an FJR over the Concours? Why? 

[TimTheAzn]

3 minutes ago, Casper said:

So along the same lines... would folks here recommend an FJR over the Concours? Why? 

FJR.

Because Tim rides a concorus.

[o-no-moto]

Thanks guys. I was behind rollin hot one year for the epic ride we were both 2up. He was throwing that thing around as good as i was on my fzr600. From that point on i was sold. If i could find someone that had a fjr to even trade for you gsxr i would do it. Bit so far no luck they dont want to come off there comfy couches for a popsicle stick ..lol ....i dont blame them.

[thompsonian]

Personal opinion: The Connie 14 is HUGE. Yes, the FJR is a pig in its own right, but the Connie feels big. The FJR seems to just fit better. I didn't get to demo ride any, but I sat on a K1300GT, Triumph Trophy, Connie 14, and the FJR just feels right. For me. 

[thompsonian]

1 minute ago, o-no-moto said:

Thanks guys. I was behind rollin hot one year for the epic ride we were both 2up. He was throwing that thing around as good as i was on my fzr600. From that point on i was sold. If i could find someone that had a fjr to even trade for you gsxr i would do it. Bit so far no luck they dont want to come off there comfy couches for a popsicle stick ..lol ....i dont blame them.

There are folks that can make the FJR do things you wouldn't think or dream a 700# bike can do.

[JackImpact]

1 hour ago, o-no-moto said:

Well its time to move on from my super sport to a fjr. I have been looking for bikes in my range and there in the 05 to the 09 year range.  I have heard that there is a generation change in there somewhere bit not sure when.  So can the in house experts tell me the differences with the pros and cons with those years?

Haha. Just traded my FZ07 in for a Versys 1000. 

[JustinNck1]

14 minutes ago, Casper said:

So along the same lines... would folks here recommend an FJR over the Concours? Why? 

I know it sounds silly, but I didn't consider the Connie because it didn't have cruise control. It does have features the FJR doesn't have like keyless ignition, TPMS sensors, and it has a little better wind protection. I don't think any of the main Sport Tourers are a bad choice (FJR, Connie, VFR, K-Bike, Sprint, etc)

[JustinNck1]

51 minutes ago, thompsonian said:

+2 or know someone who does...*cough* @JustinNck1 *cough*

I may have some knowledge on changing tires on FJRs 

[drc32-0]

I've owned a gen1(04) and a gen3(13) FJR.From my experience I liked the gen1 better than the gen3...less weight and I believe the gearing was more sporty on the gen1's.Gen1s had a valve guide issue that produced a ticking noise that could be fixed even after the warranty had expired.If it was a ticker it would show up around 25k miles.Mine showed up around 35k and a Yamaha fixed it for free.I just traded it for a FJ09...The FJR had 103,000 miles on it.My 13 has just under 60,000 on it now.They are indeed bullet proof bikes.There are dozens with between 100k and. 200k over on the FJR forum.

[o-no-moto]

Have they changed the fairing design much between the different generations And what is the electronic shift about? 

[JustinNck1]

9 minutes ago, o-no-moto said:

Have they changed the fairing design much between the different generations And what is the electronic shift about? 

2005 (GEN 1)

2012 (GEN 2)

2016 (GEN 3)

[PhilD'oh!]

I've got 120,000 miles on my '09 FJR.  I'm 5'3, so it's about the biggest bike I'd ever want to ride.  All gens have their issues, but most are relatively minor, or taken care of by recall.  The early gen2s ('06-'08) had kind of a snatchy throttle and stiff throttle return spring.  Those issues are better from '09 on. The seats suck on all years.  Gen3s are working through engine light issues, triggered by a number of silly things: not turning the ignition switch quite far enough, shutting down with the kickstand switch and at least one more that I can't remember, but the most annoying part of this issue is the dealer has to clear the code and many don't have the correct adapter to do that.  A small percentage of gen1 bikes had valve guide issues.  Cam chain tensioners have plagued both gen1 and 2, but it seems the current CCT is a winner with no reported failures.  '6-'09 bikes had a ground wire terminal block issue, fixed via recall, but many of us feel the recall wasn't comprehensive enough.  

 

Overall though, any year FJR is going to be a runner and you'll probably never wear the engine out.  I know a guy that put just short of 400k miles on a gen1, with no major engine work.  

[JustinNck1]

53 minutes ago, PhilD'oh! said:

I've got 120,000 miles on my '09 FJR.  I'm 5'3, so it's about the biggest bike I'd ever want to ride.  All gens have their issues, but most are relatively minor, or taken care of by recall.  The early gen2s ('06-'08) had kind of a snatchy throttle and stiff throttle return spring.  Those issues are better from '09 on. The seats suck on all years.  Gen3s are working through engine light issues, triggered by a number of silly things: not turning the ignition switch quite far enough, shutting down with the kickstand switch and at least one more that I can't remember, but the most annoying part of this issue is the dealer has to clear the code and many don't have the correct adapter to do that.  A small percentage of gen1 bikes had valve guide issues.  Cam chain tensioners have plagued both gen1 and 2, but it seems the current CCT is a winner with no reported failures.  '6-'09 bikes had a ground wire terminal block issue, fixed via recall, but many of us feel the recall wasn't comprehensive enough.  

 

Overall though, any year FJR is going to be a runner and you'll probably never wear the engine out.  I know a guy that put just short of 400k miles on a gen1, with no major engine work.  

The 16s have been the only ones with the check engine light issue. Yamaha now says the kickstand isn't causing the issue, just the key switch, but they still aren't fixing it yet.

[PhilD'oh!]

4 hours ago, JustinNck1 said:

The 16s have been the only ones with the check engine light issue. Yamaha now says the kickstand isn't causing the issue, just the key switch, but they still aren't fixing it yet.

Right, IMO '16s really should be gen4 or gen3 should start at '16.  Anyway...Bullshit.  It'll take time to work this all out, but I think a reprogrammed ECM is definitely in order, along with other electrical tweeks.

Edited October 5, 2016 by PhilD'oh!

[thompsonian]

15 hours ago, o-no-moto said:

Have they changed the fairing design much between the different generations And what is the electronic shift about? 

The electronic shift is like paddle shifters. No clutch needed or clutch lever. I believe there is still the foot shifter on the AE, but I've never ridden one so I can't say for certain.

[JustinNck1]

8 hours ago, PhilD'oh! said:

Right, IMO '16s really should be gen4 or gen3 should start at '16.  Anyway...Bullshit.  It'll take time to work this all out, but I think a reprogrammed ECM is definitely in order, along with other electrical tweeks.

Yeah they switched to an advanced IMU, similar to what's on the new R1. Alot of guys are calling 16s GEN 3.5. Someone totaled a brand new 16 at EOM 2 weeks ago.